Boulder Canyon eagles fledged two birds again this year! We removed signs and changed our web site yesterday.

All crags are now open to climbing.

Each year, Boulder Canyon raptor nesting area closures are in effect starting February 1st through July 31st at Eagle Rock, Security Risk, Blob Rock, and Bitty Buttress. However, the area is monitored and closures are periodically lifted early (due to no active nest, nest site failure, or early fledging). This monitoring program is a partnership with the Forest Service Boulder Ranger District, Boulder Climbing Community, and Audubon Society. Check back periodically during times of closure for updates. More info at fs.usda.gov/recmain/arp/recrea....

This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project.You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.

Description

This is a very fun line on upper Animal World. There is a low crux followed by sustained liebacking/underclinging up a left-leaning, left-facing corner. The route starts on the left end of a ledge in the middle of upper Animal World, just left of Animal Antagonism. Global Gorilla is the next route left, but it starts from the ground. This is one of the best sport pitches of 5.11 in the area. Let me just say that a lot of the ratings (including this one) in this area are a little soft. If this were in Eldo, it would be about 10d/11a or so. Either way, this route is well worth doing.

I really enjoyed this route. It has a great variety of moves on it with a technical, fingery crux and then a long, pumpy, reachy section above. Good reach is an advantage on this route and seems to bring the grade on the upper section down a letter grade or so.

I've led this w/3bolts and I think with the right cam another could be skipped. The clean protection is so good near the top that an A1 medium stopper could be tossed into the crack from 10' away (the bolt is inches away). This would have been a great route. The added finish is suspect and is another story.

Is there, as they say, a grain of truth to Ken Trout's attempt at humor? By skipping 2/3 of the bolts on this route I didn't change it for those who can only imagine bolts, but neither was it much harder than clipping the bolts. It's just a rather disappointing experience given the potential for greatness. Before you list trad routes that haven't had bolts added to them you should ask Alan Nelson about the Bacher-Yerian.

Ken, I'm not worried that folks like you are going to add bolts to these routes. I worry that when new climbings see all the bolted cracks in areas like Clear Creek, Sport Park, etc., then they'll take that for normal, and 10 (20? 30?) years down the line they'll be the ones bolting classic "trad" routes, old and new. I personally believe this process has already begun.

A very, very enjoyable route. It is very height dependant though, my rating reflects that. For me, the crux was the bulge down low, and the rest of the route is fun cranking on jugs. Shorter climbers may struggle through the upper section.

BE CAREFUL on the lower out, especially if top-roping. A 60 meter rope will not reach in the plumb line. Because of the traversing nature of this route, the lead climber starts uphill on a high spot/pedestal, but lowers off to a different spot further down the hill. If the belayer then stands at the downhill spot and belays a climber on TR, the rope WILL NOT REACH when the TR climber lowers straight back down to where the belayer is. I watched a friend get lowered off the end of the rope here.

Tie a knot in the end of your rope! Always! And a stopper knot, not some weak-ass figure eight. But you knew that.

11c sustained climbing, minus a subtle rest after the first crux. May feel easier to folks with smaller hands, i.e. the undercling seam is a "jug" instead of a one knuckle crimp. Ain't no way it's 11a :). Great climb all editorials aside. -KT

K. Noisewater's post raises some thought provoking issues about the personal variability of the rating system. In general, I agree with his relative rankings but:

Plan B is much easier for me than Tell Tale Heart, essentially the difference between onsight and total flail.

I'm far more likely to fall at the 2nd crux of Animal Magnetism than at any point on The Edge. My approximate lifetime batting averages on these two climbs: AM .250, TNE .970. For that matter, I like my chances less on AM than on any pitch of Astroman except for the hard (traditional) version of the boulder problem.

David- I guess to fine tune my point is: ratings from one side of a particular crag to another is a relavent debate, or one end of canyon to another. However, to compare two different styles of climbing or two areas, i.e. Yosemite crack climbing versus Eldo slab climbing versus Rifle steep limestone, is comparing apples to oranges. Eldo 5.11 does not equal Boulder Canyon 5.11 does not equal Yose 5.11 Grades are basically area and style-dependent. One man's nightmare is another's daydream. Just my opinion.

I'm short (5' 5") and found the upper crux considerably harder than the lower one. The lower crux is just balancy.

Warning: beta ahead.

Short person beta - for the lower crux - from the decent hold just below the 4th bolt, reach up and left and grab the large sidepull left of the bolt with both hands. Put your right foot on the hold where your hands just were (high step to the hold below the bolt). Then layback/highstep/rock up on to your right foot, reach up and get the finger pocket above the right bolt with your right hand. Next bump up to the jug just above the pocket.

For the upper crux - work your hands up the left sloping rail until your left hand is on the third decent hold - between the two large jugs lower down and the small crimper further up. Move your feet up to the two decent incut feet, then reach up with the right hand to a small, wet, slimy hold just below a large chalked jug. Hop your left foot up and go for the jug.

This is one of my favorite pitches, trad or sport, in the whole canyon. The section from after the second crux to the anchors is as good as it gets. The fact that I can speak so highly of this pitch despite the fact that it has historically given me trouble is a testament to its quality.

Note on the rating: anyone below a certain height (185 cm??) will find AM's rating quite solid as the second crux will not involve a long reach to a great jug, but instead popping to the jug from a nubbin which is almost always wet.

I agree with the above posters about the second crux and height (I'm sub 5'3). For me, the first crux (down low) was casual, but the second crux was harder because I had to use a slippery hold to reach the jug.

This is a great pitch. My beta for the lower crux: use the left Gaston to get the right hand in place. Then lean to the right and do the high step to the hold between the 3rd and 4th bolts, but with the *left* foot. Now stand using a laybacky move Gaston-cranking off the right hand. This seems easier than the right-footed high step shown in the middle picture of the 2nd row. Note: if your belayer refuses to follow, cleaning is difficult.

I left an Ipod Nano near here yesterday April 23rd 2010 at the base of Animal Instinct, the arete climb.... If you found it, would you please please get in touch with me... you will get infinite Karma points! 4252680126.

While I can see this route becoming vastly easier once you have the beta dialed, the lower crux is quite sequencey and the long sustained nature of the upper section can really wear you down if you don't do things just so. I actually think that, in contrast to routes like Free Willie which are obviously soft, that Animal Magnetism felt to me more like 11d while I was attempting to onsight it.

Regardless of the grade this is an amazing climb and absolutely worth getting after!

I agree with Tony's comments concerning - I didn't have much trouble with the lower crux, but the top is more sequency than my tired old self could handle. All the holds are there, so the solid .11 climber shouldn't have much trouble with this. That being said - why all the bolts? It seems pretty protectable throughout most of the climb.